10 Common Reasons why People Commit Suicide

by saroja vasanth

Its a crime to commit suicide, though its known by all, still we find many deaths everyday and a lot and lots of young people are being more in the list according to a recent survey. What makes someone to make as drastic a decision to die, to end one’s own life has many reasons. The reasons are either a psychological or psychosomatic. Most of the reasons are in some way or the other related to depression, but did you know there are some illness of mind which can also trigger these feelings. Hence it is very much necessary to keep a person in a close watch who might show suicidal tendencies. The rate of suicide death per 100 thousand in the population is about 9.9 in 2011. On a daily basis there are about four to five deaths of suicides on an average and it is men more than woman and both are usually aged between 40 and 60. Various methods are used for the same purpose but we do not have to know about it, as this article is strongly advising to get help if there are any such thoughts even. A person feeling suicidal can be treated through various medical treatments and therapies such as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), and many other such medicines. Below are some of the reasons for a person which pushes their lives to an edge in life.

10. Depression

A person feels depressed for various reasons and sometimes there is no particular cause. Depression is a serious state of mind which can push anyone to commit suicide or make any kind of wrong moves in life. Most of the time being hurt can cause depression, or when they do not get something which they wanted in life. Lack of love, response from loved ones, sleep, bad health, economic status, physical stamina etc can be a few reasons for depression. It could be reactive depression, unipolar or endogenous depression or a bipolar depression or a dysthymic disorder. People with bipolar depression are at high risk due to the elation or mania along with the depressive disorder. When some one is depressed, there is a *FESTIVAL of changes one can observe. When we say festival is a time for celebration, we can also say it is a sad and depressed acronym mood, which shows a person facing difficulty to live, in case of depression. If any of these Festival symptoms is persistent for weeks, than probably it is a depressive episode to the person and he/she needs the attention of a doctor or counselor immediately.

*FESTIVAL:

Feelings – Feeling sad, anxious, bored or unwanted

Energy – Tired, fatigued, difficulty to do anything, slowed movements

Sleep – Waking up in odd times, oversleeping and trouble in sleeping

Thinking – Slow thinking, poor concentration, forgetful or indecisive

Interest – Loss of appetite, less interest in work, personal relationships and life seems dull

Value – Reduced sense of self-worth, low self-esteem or guilt

Aches – Headaches, chest or other pains without a physical basis

Live – Not wanting to live, suicidal thoughts or dreaming of death

9. Substance abuse

Substance abuse is a thing developed in any age, but on a survey its increasing with youth. The reason for developing the habit of any substance abuse are many such as it could be unemployment, tensions at home, financial instability, crime rates, high divorce rates among parents or self, poor parental skills and many other such factors. Some of those different kind of drugs and substance used are tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates, date rape drugs, hallucinogens, inhaled drugs, anabolic steroids, and other miscellaneous drugs. Depression can also be one of the reason for getting into an addiction of substance. Many drug buyers do not really know of what it can do to them and the feeling which they might feel is of temporary pleasure, which is a life threatening thing. When they begin with drugs and other kinds such as cocaine and marijuana, it slowly starts eating them up as much as they intake the drugs. These drugs kill them by burning the entire system of respiratory and digestive systems of the body. Consumption of illegal drugs is punishable by law and many times, many drug users have been held by the police for illicit acts. In such case, whenever someone gets punished, he or she attempts suicide due to the social stigma or some find it difficult to live with the addiction and the changes it makes on body as well as on mind. Seeking medical help immediately can help save the person.

Note: Any drug prescribed by a medical practitioner should be consumed with the advised dosage. Over dosage can also lead to serious health disorders and can cause death. Hence keep out of reach from strong drugs from people showing suicidal tendencies.

8. Loneliness

When someone says they feel lonely do not take it light cause loneliness is one of the serious suicidal symptoms. Loneliness is a feeling brought on by self in any individual though the surroundings and people around them can add-on to the feeling knowingly or un-knowingly. It is a common feeling for everyone and yet it depends on the individual. It can occur in any age. A small child to an old age woman or a man can fell lonely. People who are lonely often crave for a human contact and expects some kind of love and care, but due to their state of mind it makes them difficult to make connections and friends and build a relationship. Loneliness is also inter-related with self-esteem, low confidence, any family member’s death, movement from one place to another, and other situation variances. While this can show various health problems, it is also a strong reason for someone to commit suicide. It also can be contagious. Hence it it is always best to keep your time busy with some kind of healthy activity which can make you happy. Everyone has a hobby unless it is pursued it goes not noticed by self. Hence avoid the feeling of self pithy and feeling of uselessness and try to make friends and be among people. For others it is always necessary to be human and when someone is lonely do not laugh at their state instead give a helping hand and save a life. We never know, the one person you want to avoid because of their aloofness, can be the one a friend you might be in need of.

7. poverty

Poverty is one of the reason for committing suicide mostly seen in under-developed and developing countries. But in a recent survey many developed countries also are facing this problem. The reason is common anywhere, that anyone stricken by the below poverty line, finds it difficult to meet the ends, provide for family, gets into more trouble, etc which forces them to end one’s own life. It is difficult to say in words that they should not do it, but there is no alternative. Yet, it is the responsibility to every individual to try to seek help before deciding to end life and it is also a strong responsibility for the government to take measures to provide the poor and needy.

6. Dowry

A brutal act which is mostly seen in India is one of the strong reason for many Indian women to end their own life. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, there were about 8,391 reported cases of dowry deaths. Though some are killed and some are forced to die. Many woman who end their life, are forced to the act because of the demands of the husband family members and the torture one might undergo. Giving gifts and valuables is a common practice in Indian marriages since the times of our kings, but this practice developed into an act of crime, when the families started demanding a not acceptable value for a girl parent to pay. The reasons are many and one of the strong reason for this is illiteracy among woman and not able to provide self. Education is very important for a woman to fight for herself, though we see many educated and self dependent woman also committing suicide being a victim of the dowry act. The reason for this is the values of society not letting a woman to live alone and be a single parent. Its been inscribed in a woman’s mind since birth that she is suppose to be dependent on a man entire her life, makes an educated woman to be afraid to live a life of her choice. In such cases woman find ending their lives as only a solution. Hence educating a woman and spreading an awareness of walking out and live a life is very important. Moral support from friends and families are one of the things which helps.

5. Mental illness

The term mental illness can be referred to a person suffering from any kind of illness with thought processes, perception of reality, emotions, judgment, etc which leads into a disturbing behavior. Some of the common illness seen in people with suicidal tendencies are

Depression (Reactive and unipolar)

Bipolar disorder

Dysthymic disorder

Schizophrenia

Delusions

hallucinations

Thought disorder

movement disorders

Cognitive symptoms

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Psychosis

Othello syndrome

These are some of the illness which needs a detail study to know more and which needs attention of a medical support.

Note: Not all those who suffer from these mental illness have suicidal thoughts and all those who complete the act are sufferers of a mental illness.

4. Incurable health problems

People with a physical illness which is incurable or which can be a costlier for treatment find it a vulnerable situation and find no solution to end their pain. Some of the health condition do not have a cure, and some times people diagnosed might have either less time to live or a more painful life. Such people are termed are at a risk of these kind of suicidal thoughts and many even complete the act. Sometimes it is just a reason to free themselves from any further pain, or sometimes unable to see the family members in pain and trouble who might be dependent on them. For some though the illness is curable it can cost more than they can afford for the treatment and medical aid. Such condition also can push a patient into depression and mood disorder. Because of these reasons there are many organizations who provide help for people who need help with terminal illness. The world is as bad out there as it is also good. There are many people who wants to help, hence try to reach out for help before letting any thoughts of death into your minds.

3. Debts

When we have anything less, we either buy more or we borrow. The most important thing in life is money. Without money its hard to live and everyone needs it. When there is a shortage of money to fulfill any of our needs, we borrow money. A practice seen since a long, long ago, in modern terms we call it as a loan. But the borrowed money will always have time to repay and if we are unable to make the payment, it carries on as debts. Making a debt is a kind of addiction for some. One might make debts because of poverty and some makes debts because of addictions where a lot of money involved, such as gambling, horse-race, etc. People with debts keep increasing it in order to repay and when it reaches to a point where they are not able to pay back they commit suicide. Hence borrowing money for whatever purpose unless it is very much needed to save life is a bad idea. Someone said right as “stretch your legs as long as your bed is and be comfortable with it”

2. Physical or sexual abuse

Violence is seen everywhere and it is increasing as bad as the improvements in various things. Abuse of any kind either physical or sexual can be a traumatic experience for the victim. An abuser will not target a specific age, though we find different ages as victims, from a child to an adult to an old aged man or a woman. Men and women are equally victimized while the sexual harassment is seen more in case of woman. It could be a family violence, bullying at schools, offices and any public places, ragging in schools and colleges, torturing old aged people, child labor, and many such things makes the person low in self-esteem and self-confidence. These kind of situations causes vulnerability and suicidal tendencies in the victims. The best solution for such a thing is report the crime and seek help. It might not help completely and immediately but ending life is never a solution.

1. Loosing the purpose of living

Life is a very long journey and we never know when it ends. For some it is small and worthy and for some it is long but never non worthy. Many people think they have no purpose in living unless they have a good job which earns them big bucks making them favorite among all and an ideal son or a daughter and a life full of things. This kind of feeling is common among people who might be finding a job, or retired, or removed out of job, or for someone who might not be earning. The feeling of negativity pushes one into depressions, self- loathing, loneliness, and other kind of feelings where it makes them feel they are useless. This kind of feelings can make one to end their life. The purpose of life is to live in whichever way you can. There is no need to be rich, or the No.1, or a famous celebrity. Not all designed to be the number one, as it is for only one, and it does not mean remaining are useless. Hence how happily you live, spreads the happiness among others. That itself can be a purpose. Be a human, live a normal life with love to all, care to all, respect to all and do not give pain to others intentionally.